Business mini-ITX System Recommendation

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Oyiwaa

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Feb 28, 2017
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Hello.

I am looking to build a small system purely for running business applications (MsOffice, Excel, Data Analysis - SAS, SPSS).

i am looking at a configuration posted on this site: http://techbuyersguru.com/pc-builders-guides-assembling-mini-itx-bookshelf-pc, with the following components:

Antec ISK110-VESA Case ($69 at time of publication)
Intel Pentium G3258 Dual-Core Processor ($70 at time of publication)
MSI H81I ITX Motherboard ($65 at time of publication)
Crucial MX 100 128GB Solid-State Drive ($70 at time of publication)
Crucial Ballistix 4GB DDR3-1600 RAM ($39 at time of publication)

It however looks as if these components are dated, with the last update around 2014. I am interested in very small factor mini-ITX systems.

Looking forward to hearing from you all.

thanks - Oy
 
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Supahos

Supahos

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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($61.99 @ Jet)
Motherboard: MSI B250I PRO Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($89.99 @ B&H)
Memory: Mushkin Essentials 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($51.99 @ Directron)
Storage: PNY CS1311 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($79.99 @ Jet)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 130 Mini ITX Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 350W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($38.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($17.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $375.82
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-02-28 21:32 EST-0500


Prices are a bit more but will perform better. Went with a bigger ssd as programs keep getting bigger and bigger. And it's not that much above your $70 number
 
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user11464

user11464

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might aswell top it off by choosing 2400mhz ram instead, it's the same price and is supported by his cpu
 
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Chugalug_

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The PSU is a bit overkill, but you need a modular one for this case since its so small.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($61.99 @ Jet)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! SHADOW ROCK LP 51.4 CFM CPU Cooler ($39.89 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H170M-ITX/DL Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Avexir Core Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($39.90 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($93.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Silverstone RVZ01B Mini ITX Desktop Case ($78.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Lian-Li PE 750W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply ($80.00 @ Newegg)
Total: $449.75
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-02-28 22:18 EST-0500
 
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user11464

user11464

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h270 motherboard
 
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Chugalug_

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Alternative
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($61.99 @ Jet)
Motherboard: ASRock H170M-ITX/DL Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Avexir Core Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($39.90 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($93.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 130 Mini ITX Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $345.85
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-02-28 22:20 EST-0500
 
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Chugalug_

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You can easily do a BIOS update, the board is too good for the price to pass up.
 
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user11464

user11464

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if you have a skylake cpu to do the update with... this is literally the most common build mistake lately on troubleshooting threads.
 
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boosted1g

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h170 board would have incompatinble bios
and WHY WHY a 750w platinum PSU for a low power itx system? Good thing it is platinum because it will be running at 10% load. I also highly recommend these 170mph rated tires for your 4 cylinder mini-van!
 
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boosted1g

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Going to have a hard time beating out this build.
The PNY is one of the few half decent budget SSDs, this is what i recommend for budget.
PSU is a solid 350w unit, will likely last through the next upgrade as well.

Only real place to save on money is waiting a few more months for bios updates to catch up then you might save $15-20 on an H110 ITX board (right now the boards on vendor's shelves have the old bios version that wont support the pentium processor).
 
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user11464

user11464

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the number one thing people forget about building compact, non-gpu or single-gpu systems, is that you are going to want a modular power supply. it's going to cost more, but otherwise you are going to have two very long and obnoxious cables for the PCIe slots always in your way.
 
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boosted1g

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In no way does that justify a 750w platinum PSU.

I built many systems for business from budget builds to workstations to full windows servers, and not a single one has ever asked or cared in one way shape or form about modular PSU and cable management. As long as the cables are tied down from causing an issue with airflow that is all that matters.
Does the modular psu help make the business money: NO
Does not getting the modular PSU create risk or cost: NO
 
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user11464

user11464

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i wasn't suggesting a psu like that. a semi-modular 500w for $50-60 will do. ofcourse you don't need one, but it helps. why have 2 PCIe cables in a mini-itx build? I have a mid-tower with great cable management, and I always regret seeing that unused PCIe cable bundled up at the bottom.
 
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Karadjgne

Karadjgne

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Top of the list price wise, but what's not been mentioned is this a standalone or networked pc. If it's standalone, you'll run out of space quick with just a few of those Office type programs, updates, OS and it's updates etc. So mine included plenty of storage for such things as large files, documents, media etc. Also works for essential backup purposes as it can easily be partitioned for such. And I personally prefer the case over the CM's others chose. Quality and looks.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($61.99 @ Jet)
Motherboard: MSI B250I PRO Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($89.99 @ B&H)
Memory: Avexir Core Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($55.15 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Blue 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($79.99 @ Best Buy)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.89 @ OutletPC)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV ITX Mini ITX Tower Case ($63.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 350W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($31.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $452.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-02-28 23:12 EST-0500
 
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boosted1g

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My mistake, I thought you were the user who suggested a 750w Lian-Li Platinum PSU.
I am very OCD about hiding cables and I prefer using Modular PSU for my personal build or any "show it off" build. I dont put them in normal business computers though because there is zero gain (or reduction in risk) for the company to justify the extra expense; its not even like the businesses' customer is going to see the prettier, more professional looking internals of the computer.
 
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The Paladin

The Paladin

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Why compromise office PC when you can get a nice graphic card and ssd to boot for under 500$
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($61.99 @ Jet)
Motherboard: MSI B250I PRO Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($89.99 @ B&H)
Memory: Mushkin Essentials 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($48.98 @ Directron)
Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($44.99 @ Best Buy)
Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.45 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 2GB Mini Video Card ($108.23 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 130 Mini ITX Tower Case ($42.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 400W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $506.61
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-02-28 23:49 EST-0500
 
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Chugalug_

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In response to that, it's a fantastic value SFX PSU, the well known ones like the Corsair SF series are the same price, no point downgrading for a lesser PSU at a higher cost. :(
 
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Oyiwaa

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Thanks again, folks for your detailed responses. I have mulled over the options, and want to clarify a few things to help with my decision, and respond to some of the questions asked.

(1) Standalone / Networked: Standalone - so lots of space is good (close to 2TB). But I can drop to 1TB (to cut costs) for power and use external drives (which I already have, if needed).

(2) Case: I like the slim Silverstone RVZ01B Mini ITX Desktop Case (a bit more expensive) than the slightly cheaper but roomier Cooler Master Elite 130 Mini ITX Tower Case. The slim version would allow me to fit it nicely on my desktop. But there is a lot of space under my desk for the Cooler Elite, so if there is more advantage to getting that (e.g, heat dissipation, etc, then I will go for it.

(3) PSU: I am still a bit unclear about the regular vr regular PSU. I do not really care about the aesthetics, I can try and tie that cords to keep it neat. If there are no performance advantages, then the regular PSU should be fine.

(4): RAM: My applications (mostly analytics would demand a lot of power/performance), hence I am thinking of 16 Gigs of RAM - is that feasible, within my estimate, even it means dropping the storage cost?

(5). Processor: There is consensus on Intel Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor (so that's good).

(6) Motherboard (bios upgradeable or not): MSI B250I PRO Mini ITX LGA1151 or ASRock H170M-ITX/DL Mini ITX LGA1151: I understand the H170M's bios is not upgradeable at this time, and I am not able to wait for a few months. Does that mean that the MSI B2501 is upgradeable of the two, and based on my needs and specifications, which of these would you advice?

(7) Graphics/Monitor: Finally, I intend to use an IMAC Monitor with this PC. I use an IMAC for as my main computer, but there are few windows programs that are not available for the mac, and running windows via virtualization is too slow, hence the need for a dedicated windows computer. The IMAC has Thunderbolt~2 ports and has support for HDMI, DVI, etc. I know most of the motherboards have HDMI ports. Beyond these, is there anything else I need to bear in mind, if i intend to share the monitor, or is it advisable to just get a dedicated monitor for the Windows?

Thanks again for your thoughts, and looking forward to further updates:

/Oy
 
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user11464

user11464

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the H170 only supports skylake cpus out of the box. the bios must be updated in order to work with kaby lake(which the g4560 is) which obviously requires a cpu(skylake) in the socket to even boot and do this. so stick with the b250.

as far as the standard vs modular power supply. there is no performance gain... I simply mentioned it because I have never personally got my hands on a mini build, so I was unsure of how tight the fit was... and two extra PCIe power cables can take up a good bit of room. my opinion is that if you can get a reputable modular power supply for under $50(which I saw on sale a couple of days ago) it's a no brainer, but seeing as you don't need that high of a wattage, most of the modular psus start at about 430w minimum.

I'm not understanding your hdmi question?
 
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